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HOME INTENTIONALY FLOODED DURING BURGLARYFree Lance-Star: "A North Stafford couple’s home was ruined yesterday by what police have labeled a “senseless" act of vandalism.

Stafford Sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy said the incident occurred sometime between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Someone broke into a home on Summerlake Court in Park Ridge subdivision and clogged an upstairs shower drain while leaving the water running.

One of the homeowners was returning home from work about 6:30 p.m. when she noticed a basement door open and a light on. Knowing that no one was supposed to be home, the woman called the Sheriff’s Office instead of going inside, Kennedy said."
DESPITE BUDGET CRUNCH, FREDERICK FRESHMAN SPORTS SPAREDGazette.net: "Frederick County school board members do not know how they will trim their staff-recommended $541 million budget for fiscal 2012, but they agree on one point: Eliminating freshmen athletics and extracurricular activities is not an option.

That became apparent on Wednesday, when board members continued working on the budget by reviewing cuts their predecessors implemented last year, as well as those the previous board did not make, such as increasing class size or closing Sabillasville Elementary."

CRYSTAL CITY ELEVATORS CHRONICLED ON YOUTUBEARLNow: "We may have discovered an entirely new genre of video on YouTube.

Crystal City’s elevators and escalators have been extensively chronicled on the video sharing site. There are at least two dozen such videos on the site, posted by at least three dedicated elevator enthusiasts. The videos feature commentary and often a critical review of the elevator’s aesthetics and function.

“Look how big that indicator is!” the young man in the video below gushes. “That indicator is quite a sight.”"

VA TEEN DETAINED IN KUWAIT IS SET TO RETURN TO USWashington Post: "A Virginia teenager who was placed on the no-fly list and barred from returning home to the United States from Kuwait is expected to arrive at Dulles International Airport on Friday morning, a government lawyer said.

Gulet Mohamed, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen from Alexandria, was detained in Kuwait last month at the behest of the United States, according to his attorneys. They allege that Mohamed was beaten by Kuwaiti officials who questioned him about his travels in Yemen and Somalia after he left the United States in March 2009."

SCHOOLHOUSE SMASH AND GRABAlexandria Times: "The laptop and wallet of an Alexandria City Public Schools teacher was stolen after a thief smashed the rear driver’s side door of the victim’s vehicle last week.

The teacher had parked the 2009 Ford Focus in the Minnie Howard School lot and discovered the theft at about 7:59 p.m., January 12.